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Suicidality measured by PHQ-9 in kosovo during the COVID-19 outbreak

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

N. Fanaj ,
S. Mustafa ,
A. Ajradini ,
B. Kabashaj  and
I. Poniku
N. Fanaj*
Affiliation:
Qshm, Mental Health Center Prizren, PRIZREN, Kosovo
S. Mustafa
Affiliation:
Qshm, Mental Health Center Prizren, PRIZREN, Kosovo
A. Ajradini
Affiliation:
Qshm, Mental Health Center Prizren, PRIZREN, Kosovo
B. Kabashaj
Affiliation:
Sociology, University of Prishtina, Prishtina, Kosovo
I. Poniku
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Regional Hospital, PRIZREN, Kosovo
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

As a consequence of the impact of COVID-19 there are suggestions and projections that suicide rates will rise, although this is not inevitable. It is intriguing what impact it will have on Kosovo as a country with the lowest suicide rate in Europe.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to understand the level of suicidal thinking as a result of the COVID-19 situation and possible associations with sociodemographic variables.

Methods

It’s a comparative study. We examined data of two cross-sectional online surveys conducted during the one-month periods 20.03.20 until 23.04.20 and 27.04.2020 until 05.06.2020. The participants were online respondents, N = 194 (first period) and N = 155 (second period); who completed the Albanian version of PHQ-9. We used the statement number 9 of questionnaire indicative of suicide.

Results

Mean score of suicidal thinking resulted 0.58 (SD = .98) in the first period and 0.84 (SD = 1.16) in the second period. 10.1% of participants in March/April and 18.2% in May/June period scored that almost every day thoughts that would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way. Significantly higher suicidal thinking resulted for females and for respondents who had previously had depression in both periods. Compared to two previous studies (2018 and 2019) in different settings only the results of the second period show an increase in suicidal thinking.

Conclusions

Further studies are needed to better scientifically elaborate these findings. It is important enhanced surveillance of COVID-19-related risk factors contributing to suicidal behaviors and timely preventive efforts.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

COVID-19SuicideKosovoPHQ-9
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S92 - S93
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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